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Musicians among victims in Calgary's 'worst mass murder' (with video)

Matthew de Grood, alleged to have been the perpetrator in the stabbing murders in Brentwood Tuesday April 15, 2014, competes in the 10 kilometre portion of the 2013 Scotiabank Calgary Marathon May 26, 2013.

The son of a senior Calgary police officer stands accused of the worst mass homicide in the city's history: the unprovoked stabbing deaths of five people early Tuesday at a house party celebrating the end of their university term.

"These were all good kids. There's no question about that. They did nothing wrong and nothing that they did contributed to what happened to them," police Chief Rick Hanson said.

Four men and a woman, ranging in age between 22 and 27, were fatally wounded by a man who began attacking guests during a party inside a rented house at 11 Butler Crescent N.W. sometime after 1 a.m.

Police have charged Matthew Douglas de Grood, 22, with five counts of first-degree murder in connection with the killing spree.

De Grood is a student at the University of Calgary, and the son of a 33-year veteran of the police force, Insp. Doug de Grood.

Authorities have not released the names of victims, but sources in the local music community confirmed two of the male victims belonged to a local band.

Zackariah Rathwell, 23, of Calgary and Josh Hunter, 22, of Priddis, belonged to a local band called Zackariah and the Prophets, which held a record release party at a downtown Calgary music venue over the weekend.

Rathwell's Facebook account lists him as a student at Alberta College of Art and Design, enrolling last September.

For friends and supporters of the band, the news was a particularly devastating blow following the high of the previous weekend, when band members celebrated the release of a new EP to a sold-out crowd at the Palomino.

On the band's Facebook page, there was a reminder of the night, with the band thanking the fans who came out and saying it was the "most fun the four of us have ever had on stage."

"The room was full of university kids who were all friends and fans," said Spencer Brown, the longtime booker for the Palomino. "It's really sad that all those kids are going to go from a high note like that to their funerals."

Story continues below this liveblog with the latest from the team of Calgary Herald reporters and photographers covering the slayings and their impact.

Suspect arrested

Around 20 people were in the home for a party celebrating the end of the semester when the stabbings occurred, Hanson said.

Police arrived at the Brentwood house party around 1:20 a.m. to find three men dead in the home and one woman injured. A fourth male was discovered on the front lawn and was transported along with the injured woman to hospital where they later died.

Officers caught up to the suspect a few blocks from the home and arrested him following a struggle where the suspect had to be subdued with the help of the canine unit.

Hanson said the suspect came to the party straight from his job at a grocery store armed with a weapon - that police are describing as an "instrument" - but that the primary weapon used in the attacks came from the home.

No motive has been found for the slayings and Hanson said there was no indication of any altercation before the stabbings occurred.

"He was an invited guest to the party... nothing at all would indicate that there was an event that occurred earlier that precipitated the event," Hanson said.

Police do not believe alcohol or drugs played a role in the attack.

Hanson said the suspect's father, a 33-year veteran of the Calgary Police, is "devastated" and wished to pass on condolences to the families of the victims.

"He is heartbroken, as his wife is... they are devastated, and they feel so much pain for the families that were impacted."

Police say they’re working to identify the victims and notify next of kin. Names will be released after autopsies are performed.

They say they're not seeking any other suspects.

Hanson said police have been fielding calls from panicked parents since news of the deaths broke.

"We know that there's 30,000 students at the University of Calgary and there's a whole lot of parents wondering what happened, wondering if it was their son or daughter... we wanted to get as much information out today as we possibly could."

Students were celebrating the end of the semester

A young man who attended the house party Monday night returned to the home hours after the night ended in unthinkable violence.

With tears streaming down his face, he declined comment but briefly spoke with police investigating the scene in Brentwood before leaving.

Several others who arrived at the scene were whisked away by police.

Blood stained the front of the blue and white home Tuesday morning as investigators scoured the scene for evidence and snapped photos. A couple of McDonald’s takeout bags were left at the front of the home.

Neighbours were shaken by the overnight violence -- some of them crying as they took in the scene.

The home was being rented by University of Calgary students who were having a Bermuda Shorts Day party, neighbours said.

Resident Doug Jones said at least three of the victims lived in the home full-time.

"I know a few of them were students... other than that, just part of the neighbourhood. They fit right in.

"The situation there yesterday, everyone seemed to be getting along, seemed like everyone knew each other, and it wasn't like they were partying it up."

"They were just were kind of hanging out, had a fire pit going, having a few beers. They weren't loud at all, whatsoever."

"We didn't even have a clue that something like that had happened"

"I almost fainted when they told me people were dead in there."

Jones said he's still coming to grips with the violence.

"My son is in school in Lethbridge," he said. "He better be careful where he goes partying, that's all I can say."

Bruce Tymrick said he didn’t see or hear anything unusual Monday night.

“I came home at about 9 at night. I could hear someone having a wood fire somewhere but that was about it,” he said.

Tymrick said his girlfriend saw people dressed up for Bermuda Shorts Day, but “if there was a party there, they certainly weren’t making much noise.”

He said Brentwood is “a nice neighbourhood,” and he feels safer there than he did when he lived in Tuxedo.

“I went to U of C and it seemed like the safest neighbourhood around here.”

Cheryl Rodger lives down the street but didn’t know the residents.

“I just know it’s a bunch of kids from the university. You see them everyday when you drive past, and they’re good kids, nice kids, and there’s never any trouble.

“It’s terrible.”

Her son, who also lives nearby, phoned her at 4:45 a.m. as he was leaving this morning.

He saw all the lights at 1:30 a.m. but didn’t know what was going on. When he got up, he found out the tragic news.

“Five young kids are gone,” she said, her voice trembling. “I feel sorry for their mothers, their fathers. Just terrible.”

Karen Tarras, who lives nearby, was in tears as she watched police at the scene.

“Terrible. Such a great neighbourhood. We saw kids walking around yesterday because it was the last day of classes.”

Multiple witnesses were taken to the Westwinds Campus and are currently being interviewed by detectives, police said in a statement.

In a statement on its website, the University of Calgary said it was “mourning the loss of five young people killed early this morning in Brentwood.”

The university said it would provide further comment after identities of the victims were confirmed by police.

With classes out, the university campus was quiet on Tuesday morning. As some students spent time studying for upcoming exams, word of the nearby stabbings spread quickly.

“I can’t believe something this horrible could happen near our campus,” said fourth-year general studies student Ally Davis. “U of C is such a safe school. There’s good kids here, there’s never any violence here.”

According to the students’ union, the university has been celebrating Bermuda Shorts Day – a celebration of the last day of classes – since the 1960s.

Billed as the city’s “largest student celebration,” and a way for students to blow off steam before heading into exams, the event features a beer garden, which is open from noon to 5 p.m., and includes police and EMS on site. Students require a wristband from the students’ union to attend.

First-year sciences student Brendan Schmidt said Bermuda Shorts day is a fun, well-controlled event. He said it doesn’t believe any parties that occur off campus can be connected to the event.

“Bermuda shorts day is a safe, fun event. They shut the liquor down at 5 pm. I don’t see this stabbing as even being connected,” he said.

Counselling services called in for students

Some students have already begun reaching out to the U of C’s wellness centre in the wake of the news.

The university is ensuring chaplains, psychologists, social workers and nurses will be on hand in the coming days to help students cope with the unexpected tragedy amid the added stress of dealing with exams, said Debbie Bruckner, U of C Wellness Centre director.

“Students are worried about how they’re impacted and how their friends are dealing with it,” she said.

“We really want to be here for these students right now.”

Officials at the wellness centre are encouraging students to contact them by phone, email or in person, she said.

“The experience of a crisis and grief is a complex journey and everybody goes through that individually and differently. The effects are different and wide ranging. They can be cognitive, physical or emotional,” said Bruckner.

She said it’s important for students to talk to supportive people in their lives and to especially be aware of taking care of themselves as they study for finals, including eating well and getting sleep.

“The effects of stress and not taking care of yourself can be very tough.”

Matthew de Grood, alleged to have been the perpetrator in the stabbing murders in Brentwood Tuesday April 15, 2014, competes in the 10 kilometre portion of the 2013 Scotiabank Calgary Marathon May 26, 2013.

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